Geek Prom

It’s prom season! I went to my prom all those years ago, and I don’t remember a single person in my school doing anything more interesting than… well, nothing. Prom weekend I went into NYC with my date and a couple of friends to see Nine Inch Nails, except we ended up not being able to enter the venue because we were under twenty-one. And since most everyone else in my highschool was just getting drunk and having house parties all weekend, I suppose that was “different.” Yeah, not that exciting of a story there. You can read more about that and other much funnier/sadder GeekMom prom stories here.

My dad had videos of old Saturday Night Live sketches, and “Nerd Prom” was one of my favorites with Gilda Radner and Bill Murray. You can watch it here. My sister and I showed it to our friends and we would often quote, “I’m saving myself for my one true love: Marvin Hablish.” When I went to my own prom I sang out, “To the prom! To the prom! To the prom, prom, prom!” to the confusion of my date.

Well, prom is much more interesting now. A few years ago I covered the Internet Prom. And although that didn’t become a thing, geeks are still making prom all their own. Some Cons offer a nerd prom for participants. It’s basically a formal dance, but, you know, full of nerds.

This year my son casually asked his group of friends at lunch, “So anyone want a date for prom?” And one of the girls said, “Sure!” And that was it. But apparently, that’s not the current trend. If you’ve never heard of promposals, I suggest you waste some time checking them out. Here are “15 Adorably Nerdy Promposals” that range from zombies, manga, Star Wars, etc.

How about a sweet geeky ride? Here is a DeLorean limo. A batmobile limo. Or one all about Star Trek?

Dresses! With the rise of cosplay, it’s no surprise that prom is a perfect opportunity to show off some geeky costume skills. I’m always impressed by the duct tape outfits put together by students around the country. Here are some past winners. The photo at the top of this post is my son and his friend at her prom last year. She designed and sewed an authentic Victorian era dress. Luckily, men’s formal attire hasn’t changed too much over the centuries and a regular tux place was able to provide my son with a matching outfit. The top hat we already owned–heh.

Did you do anything geeky for your prom? How about your kids? Keep up the nerd in prom!